Improvement in car-couplings



N. H. DOLSEN.

CAR-COUPLING.

'No.183,148. Patented 0ct.10,1876.

m2?! an 2 0 JAMES R OSGOOD 8 CO BOSTGN together.

UNITED STATES PATENT Qrrron.

NINIAN H. DOLSEN, OF CHATHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. [83, 148, dated October10, 1876 application filed To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NINIAN H. DOLSEN, of Ghatham, in the Province ofOntario and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Oar-Couplings;

and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification, in which 7 Figure 1 is aside elevation with the pin raised and part ,of the shell removed toshow the interior construction. Fig. 2 is a front view of the coupling.Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through lines a0 at, Fig. 1; and Fig. 4shows the cap {or cover for the parts exposed.

Similar 'letters of reference in the accompanyin g drawings denote thesame parts.

My invention relates to automatic couplings for cars and consists ofimproved details of construction, which will be more fully set forth,and illustrated in the drawing which accompanies and makes part of thisspecification.

The shell or casing of my improved coupling is composed wholly ofwrought-iron in the form of plates. The front part of the head is madewith a wide and daring mouth, by the inclined sides of which the linkmay be guided into its place when, from any cause, it stands in theopposite draw-head in a lower plane than that of the draw-head to whichit is to be coupled.

I am aware that this form of mouth of the draw-head is not new; but inorder to insure lightness and sufflcient strength, such as isabsollitely necessary for these structures, 1 form this' flaring mouthout of sheet metal, and strike or swage it into proper shape. In thedrawing this flaring head is marked A.

The sides of the draw-head are composed of sheet metal, and are formedin the shape shown in Fig. 3. They are indicated at B B. The rear endsextend backward between the upper and lower straps, and may be rivetedThey thus serve to strengthen the upper and lower straps, and preventthe parts June 17, 1876.

from bending and breaking by the frequent concussions. The forward endsyy are slight- 1y turned outward, and are riveted firmly to the sides ofthe flaring head. The top and bottom pieces b b may also be cut fromsheet metal of suitable thickness, in shape to cover the head formed bythe two side pieces. These covers extend rearward at proper distance,and form the means for connection with the car.

The forward ends b b are turned upward and riveted to the flaringmouth-piece in the same manner as the sides. The top and bottom piecesare shown as formed each of two parts, the inner having aninwardlyturned flange, which abuts against the flaring mouth, and theouter pieces, which are riveted to the mouth, having an out-turnedflange at the rear to furnish a stop for the hunter in its rearwardmovement. These two pieces may be cut of one width, and placed, when atawelding-heat, under a hammer and welded and spread to sufficient width.

This construction forms a solid and light shell, all the parts of whichmay be easily and cheaply made, and any part of which, when broken orworn, may be replaced.

I now proceed to describe the operating parts of the coupling. The pin01 is of ordinary construction, except that it is a little flattened. Itdrops through the holes in the top and bottom of the shell. In itsmovement up and down it is guided by an arm, 0, which is bent at rightangles above, and fastened to the top of the pin 11. The verticalportion slides in guides formed on the edges of the upper and lowerplates of the shell. Just in front of the pin, and a little on one side,is a pair of lugs, .70 at, between which a lever, f, is pivoted. Thisbver is bent, as shown, and terminates in areverse curve, and may have aweight fixed on this end, if the bar itself is not heavy enough, and, ifrequired, may also be provided with a ring for the purpose of attachinga cord or chain thereto. The opposite end of this lever is curved, asshown at f, so as to catch under aswinging lug, f, on the upper end of avertical pivot which projects through the upper shell. This lug has abevel on one side, so that the arm f, as it strikes the lug in itsdescent, pushes it aside, and, passing, lodges and is caught underneathin such a manner as to hold the weighted end raised.

The longer end of this lever passes through an arm, g, fixed upon theupper end of the pin, and the effect, as plainly appears, is, that thepin is raised when the weighted end of the lever is elevated. The loopthrough which this lever passes is formed of one piece of metal, bent toinclose two frictionrollers, between which the lever passes. The otherpart is bent to fit horizontally on the head of the pin, and is fastenedthereto. The bar is then bent twice, to form the part g, and thisprojection, when the pin is forced down by the lever and its weight,passes through the slot h in the upper plate, and rests upon the end ofthe link. Thus the weight serves to hold the pin down and prevent itfrom being thrown out by the jolting of the car, and also to hold thelink in a horizontal position.

The lug f" is on the upper end of a vertical-pivot of a gate, 1', whichswings partly across the opening in the draw-head, in such a manner thatthe link, upon entering, will unavoidably strike it and push it from itsplace.

As the gate is hinged at the side, it turns as it is pushed by theentrance of the link, and in so turning it turns the pivot marked k, andthereby removes the lug f from the curved arm of the weighted lever,allowing it and the pin to fall.

By this operation the entrance of the link is made to cause the pin todrop which holds the link in place.

The connection of the gate to the pivot is peculiar, and requires moreparticular description. The gate is hung loosely by means of loops onthe pivot, so that, without other connections, it would turn freelythereon. It is pressed forward in front of the entrance, so as toencounter the link partly by the spiral spring 8, which is slipped overthe pivot, and bears by one end against the gate, and by the otheragainst the inner face of the shell.

As shown in the drawings, the spring is wound from the center outward,so as to leave a central loop bearing on the gate, and two free endsresting against the shell. In addition to this there is a sector, m,through a square hole in the acute angle of which the squared end of thepivot z passes, so that these two parts turn together.

The sectormis pressed forward by aspring, a, bearing against one edge.This tends to keep the lug on the top of the pivot thrown backward, soas to hold the bent end of the lever which actuates the pin.

The gate is constructed as shown detached in Fig. 5. The lower edge iscut partly away,

as shown at o o, and of these edges 0' is slightly beveled.

Underneath the sector above described is a second piece, of somewhatsimilar construction, as shown at 1). It is formed with a round hole atthe point or acute angle, and through this passes the pivot, made thereof corresponding form. This lower sector is made with a recess, intowhich a pin, m, on the upper sector moves and strikes in the motion ofthe upper on the lower, so that, when the upper has swung forward aprescribed distance, the pin will strike in the bottom of the recess andcarry the lower sector therewith. At the same time the depth of therecess is such that the free motion of the upper sector is notinterfered with. This lower sector is made with the forward edgebeveled, as shown at p, and this part is brought into such relation tothe lower end of the gate that the beveled edge 0' comes opposite theincline p.

The lower edge 0 falls opposite the front edge of the upper sector, andfits squarely against it. Now, as this upper sector is fixed to thepivot. the effect of the first rearward movement of the gate is to pushback this sector and turn the pivot. This turns aside the lug whichholds down the curved end of the lever, and lets fall the weighted arm,and therewith the pin. The further movement of the gate causes thebeveled end 0 to ride upon the incline 1), thus lifting the gate at thepart 0 above the upper sector and freeing it therefrom.

The parts have sufficient backward movement to allow the link to enterbefore the pin drops. Since, after the gate has mounted the uppersector, it is no longer connected therewith, this sector actsindependently on the pivot, and leaves it ready to turn with the lug onits upper end, and catch the'wurved end of the weighted lever, asaforesaid.

I claim as my invention 1. In a car-coupling, the flaring mouth, made ofone piece of wrought-iron and swaged or pressed into shape, as setforth.

2. In combination with the flaring head, the upper and lower plates,made of wroughtiron, and riveted thereto by their outwardlybent ends, asset forth.

3. The side plates, the forward ends of which are riveted to the flaringmouth, and the rear ends brought together and extended back between theupper and lower plates, as set forth.

4. The inner and outer plates, composed of the parts b b 2 2, connectedto each other and to the flaring head, and the outer having the upturnedrear ends, as set forth.

5. The guide e, passing through ears formed on the upper and lowerplates, and. connected to the upper end of the pin, in combination withthe curved lever passing through loop in said pin, as set forth.

6. The loop and arms g g, formed of one o o, and loosely hinged on thepivot, which piece, and connected to the upper end of the carries thelug on its upper end, in combinapin, as set forth. tion with the sectorsm and p and the springs 7. The curved lever, pivoted, as described, 8 s,as set forth.- passing through a loop on the upper end of NINIAN HOLMESDOLSEN.

' the pin, and having a catch at the opposite Witnesses:

end, as set forth. THEODORE MUNGEN, 8. The gate-latch formed with lowerends FRANK MOKENNY.

